Will an IgA deficiency test still wor... - Gluten Free Guerr...
Will an IgA deficiency test still work if i haven't eaten gluten for months?
The blood IgA test worked on me Bluedaffodil and I hadn't eaten wheat for several years prior to the test ..... but ideally they do recommend that a patient carries on eating a normal diet containing gluten for six to eight weeks before taking the test.
IgA blood test measures the immune response to gluten, ie. if your immune system is operating to try to defeat something it doesn't like in your system.
One of the other immune responses that you might see in some people is the IgG response, that appears in people who have hayfever, asthma, ezcema, etc. If there is no trigger (ie. pollen for hayfever sufferers) then you can't see the physical immune response (sneezing, runny nose, etc) and if you did their IgG bloods you wouldn't find anything.
Similarly, if there is no gluten in your system then your IgA responders won't be out and about in your system.
If you do get a diagnosis then you'll have yearly bloods to see your IgA levels, which can tell if you're sticking to the diet. The reference range for IgA response is quite wide (and different depending on your age). Without gluten you could be at the high end of the 'normal' reference range and get a visible IgA response that is not enough for a coeliac diagnosis.
I suspect Lynxcat responded because she has a very sensitive response to gluten (I know you avoid all possible sources Lynxcat). For someone further down the coeliac scale your bloods may not measure a sufficient response to be diagnosed as a coeliac without eating gluten before the test.
If you can possibly stomach it, it is best to eat gluten for 8 weeks before the test.
Thanks but i nearly lost my job because of this and thyroid issues. I have only just got back into work - i'd need to go sick for 8 weeks if i was back on gluten and i just cannot risk my job to tick and nhs box
Bluedaffodil I can see that would be very hard for you, having been through similar feelings this year for other health problems. I ended up maintaining work as best as I could but having no life other than that. Thankfully I have a very understanding boss.
Could you try sitting down with your boss, letting them know what you are dealing with? I know that helped me. Could you try having the odd bit of toast in the evening, once your shift finishes as the majority of your reaction would be over by the time you got back to work?
If the answer is no, then go for the blood test anyway and see what happens. Let your GP know that you've not been able to eat gluten regularly and maybe they can take that into account if you come back with a high but not definite coeliac reference.
Lots of people skip the diagnosis and just go gluten free anyway, but you miss out on health monitoring with this option. The bottom line is, if it helps to be gluten free, then it helps! Good luck, and keep us posted how you get on.
Hi Bluedaffodil
Can you tell us why you posted on the Thyroid forum that we had banned you when we hadn't? And you had had 2 answers to your question already?
